Success Stories
Ayesha Nunez
Ayesha Nunez was an Empower Participant under the guiding care of Rebecca Garcia in 2005. Ayesha had spent most of her youth in and out of different foster cares homes. Ayesha was a 17 yr old teen who just graduated from Valley Community School as the class Valedictorian. That was the first day she met Congressman Dennis Cardoza. Mr. Cardoza came to Valley Community School just to hear Ayesha speak and honor her efforts to graduate while living in the foster care system. The meeting between Congressmen Cardoza left a lasting impression on the Congressman’s mind and heart.
Last month, 2 yrs later, at a fundraiser, Ayesha met up once again with the congressman; she was greeted with a bright smile and a big “Well Hello Ayesha, nice to see you again”. She was stunned that he remembered her, let alone remembered her by name. He told her it would be hard to not remember her speech & presence at the graduation.
Congressman Cardoza asked to talk with her for a while and during the conversation he asked if she would be interested in becoming a representative aid for his office. Ayesha was thrilled at the offer but the required training which would take place in Washington DC would take her away from her sweetie, job and college classes. With a confused heart Ayesha thanked the congressman for the wonderful opportunity he had offered her and stayed at her job and classes in Modesto.
Recently she once again ran into the Congressman and his ‘new representative aid’, and was asked again if she wanted to join the group as an aid working in Washington DC for a short time. With the training and the initial job Ayesha would be away from California for a few months, however this time she accepted the job!
In October Ayesha will travel to Washington DC and begin her training and soon return to CA for her new exciting job. Everyone here at MCOE Empower Program wish her all the best and hope to have her return one day not as a participant but this time as a guest speaker, to tell our current participants about her adventures since leaving the Empower Program.